Merry Christmas, Alice!
by Emotistic Optimistic
Summary: WCMI-licious. It's Christmas time in Wonderland, and Alice is on a mission to find out what Reginald got her. But will our Hatter outsmart her this time?


"Bloody…where's that ribbon?"

Alice huffed as she searched the room for the red ribbon she was going to tie the present with. Honestly, why could she never keep track of these things? If things kept going this way, she'd soon be as bad as Reginald.

She huffed again. If it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't be searching for the blasted thing in the first place. But, given how they were sort of almost on good terms, she supposed it was necessary to get him a Christmas present. And, to be honest, she didn't think she could have done better. A sequined, lilac ascot, along with that peach and apricot tea he liked, seemed to be a perfect gift for him.

"Aha!" she cried as she triumphantly grabbed the ribbon that had been hiding from her for the better part of the past hour. Smiling, she walked back to the table and tied a large bow onto the neatly-wrapped present, then attached a tag reading _From Alice_ on it. She then slipped her coat on, took the present, and went off to a certain Hatter's place.

* * *

As Alice walked up the walkway leading to Reginald's front door, she felt a knot form in her stomach. Somehow, she just knew that this wouldn't be as simple as handing the present to Reginald and walking back home.

Swallowing her discomfort, she knocked on the door. After a few crashes, bangs, and a single honk, the door opened. Alice gasped in surprise.

Reginald was covered in tape. Duct tape on his coat, Scotch tape in his snowy hair, painter's tape on his shoes, masking tape on his gloves; topping it all off with a large green ribbon tied in a bow on top of his head, replacing his customary over-sized top hat. He gave her his famous buck-toothed grin.

"Hello, cricket. I didn't expect you to show up today," he said, leaning in the doorway.

"I'm sorry if I…ahem…interrupted you." Alice looked to the ground, wondering why it was that she had decided to get him a present in the first place. She held out the present. "Here. For you."

Reginald's eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, no, _no_. Not today, _definitely_ not today!" he cried.

"What?" Alice asked, trying not to sound cross. It was, after all, the holiday season, what with all the cheer and good will.

"It's only Christmas _Eve_! Presents can't be 'til tomorrow!"

"That's ridiculous, absolute nonsense! Then again…it is _you_ I'm talking to…"

Reginald stared at her for a moment, then a devious smile curled at his lips. He shrugged and turned around. "Anyhow, I simply couldn't accept it now. I haven't even finished wrapping your present yet."

"My present?"

"Yes, your present. And it took me _so_ long to find it…"

Oh _damn_ this curiosity of hers! Alice had always had a weakness for Christmas presents. Knowing full well that she was following Reginald's plan, she asked, "Well, what is it?"

He turned around, his eyes wide again in shock. "I can't _tell_ you! That wouldn't be following tradition. You're just going to have to wait until tomorrow morning like everyone else."

"But…!"

"Ah ah ah! Not until Christmas Day, and not a moment sooner!" Reginald bowed, his bow flopping around. "Goodbye, Miss Liddell! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Regin--!" She was cut off as Reginald slammed the door shut. She gritted her teeth and pounded on the door with a dainty fist. "Reginald! Open this door!"

"Sorry, cricket, can't hear you!"

Oh, she could just imagine the smug look he had on his face. She could also imagine slapping it off his face. However, she couldn't actually do that at the moment, so she would have to think of something else.

She huffed and stomped down the path, stopping a moment to kick his gatepost and, as a result, stub her toe.

"Oww! Ow ow ow!" she cried, then scowled. She could _feel_ Reginald's laughter from here. Summoning up as much dignity as she could, she limped away from his house.

* * *

"_So…you kicked his gatepost?"_

"Yes. And it tipped over."

"_I'm sure…a whole sixteenth of an inch!"_

Alice scowled as her friend laughed over the line. "Oh, shush, Belle. I don't need your braying right now."

"_But I wonder what he _did_ get you…_" Belle mused. Alice sniffed.

"Probably something horribly gaudy and flashy and tacky and…"

"_Oh, stop pretending! You know you want to find out what it is…_" Belle's voice was teasing.

"I do _not_."

A sigh came over the line. _"You're hopeless, you know. Anyway, I've got to finish up a few more presents. Merry Christmas, Alice!"_

"Merry Christmas, Belle. Good night," Alice said, then hung up and sighed. She _did_ want to know what Reginald had gotten her…she shook her head. It was probably something ridiculous and childish, much like him. She should put the thought aside.

But, then again, she _didn't_ know what it was, and that bothered her more than anything else! She huffed in exasperation as she walked over to her tree and nervously rearranged a few of the ornaments. She _had_ to know what he had gotten her…she simply _had_ to…

She glanced at her clock. Quarter to midnight. She looked over at Reginald's present, currently on a side table. She smiled as she formulated a plan. It took about fifteen minutes to walk to Reginald's house, last she checked. She quickly took her coat and the present, then went out the door on her mission.

* * *

She bit her lip as she walked up the walkway, clutching the present close. This didn't seem quite right, but damn it, she wanted to know what her present was!

She first stopped at the window. "I really shouldn't be doing this," she said, placing the present on the windowsill before trying to push the window open. "I really should just wait until tomorrow…it's quite rude to just burst in." She pushed harder, continuing to chide herself through clenched teeth. "And it's childish, too, to do all this just to get a peek at a present…"

She frowned as she realized that the window was not going to open. _Oh wait, what was it that Reginald told me after the serenading incident? _She thought a moment, then remembered his call as she shut the door, _"I'll leave the door unlocked!"_

Alice's face lit up. Of course, why hadn't she thought of that before? _But wait…_ She slumped disappointedly. _Only a madman would leave his door open at night._ She brightened again. _Then again, this _is_ Reginald…_

She tiptoed over to the door, present under her arm. Crossing her fingers with one hand, she slowly reached to the knob and turned it. It opened. Alice's jaw dropped; he actually left the door shook her head. _It doesn't matter now…_ She smiled as she heard a clock from somewhere inside the house chime twelve times. _It's Christmas, I'm good._

Struggling not to giggle triumphantly, she walked quietly through the house until she reached his parlor. She looked around. For the most part, it looked fairly normal. Certainly, a little more tinsel than she was used to, but nothing outrageously gaudy. Except, she noticed as she went to put her present under the tree, he used tea cups instead of ornaments. And he couldn't wrap a present to save his life, as was evidenced by the awkwardly wrapped presents scattered under the tree. She poked around the presents, looking for the one that said _Alice_ on it. She frowned as she got to her feet; it wasn't there!

She huffed and turned around, then saw _it._ A present on the mantle, wrapped a bit neater than the others, with a tag reading _TO ALICE _on it. She suppressed another giggle as she ran toward it and picked it up. Curiously, she shook it. No sound. She looked at it oddly.

"Strange…" she murmured, then shrugged. "I suppose I'll just have to take a peek…"

She carefully used her nail to neatly open enough of the wrapping to open the box just enough to take a peek inside. She lifted the lid, looking inside expectantly, then gasped. Ignoring her normal peeking protocol, she stuck her hand inside and took out the only thing in the box…

_Mistletoe_.

"That low-lifed, tasteless, tacky, ridiculous…!"

"Merry Christmas, cricket."

Alice froze, still holding up the mistletoe. Slowly, she turned around. There he was, standing at the foot of the stairs, bright orange bathrobe blazing in the dying firelight, giving her that damn grin of his.

"I…you…you…" she sputtered, but he merely took the mistletoe and held it up between them.

"Tradition first, insults later," he said, leaning toward her. Alice glared.

"How did you even know it was me?" she asked.

"Well, I heard my door open, and, since it's Christmas, it must be either you or Santa Claus, and _everyone_ knows Santa comes down the chimney, so what would he be doing coming though the front door?"

"Wait…Santa? Reginald…"

"And then," Reginald continued, not listening to her, "came your lovely voice, which definitely did not belong to Santa, and could most likely be heard ten doors down. So I gathered that you wanted to see your present. Since it's now…" He looked over at a nearby clock. "…12:04, you can have it." He nodded up to the mistletoe.

Alice shoved his arm to the side and stepped up to him, glaring and poking his chest. "For your information, Mr. Theophilus…"

"The third."

"…I was merely dropping off your present since I wasn't planning on seeing you tomorrow…today…and I didn't want it to get soaked from the snow. It's not my fault that you leave your front door open in the middle of the night. And…and…" Given Reginald's look, she knew she had lost. She sighed. "Fine, I came in to see what my present was. But I hardly expected you to be so uncouth and despicable and vulgar and…and…what's that?" While she had been raging on, Reginald had somehow brought out a large, awkwardly wrapped package.

"It's your present."

"My…present?"

"Your real one, anyway. Here." He handed it to her.

Alice gasped in surprise at how heavy it was. She looked down at it, then lifted it to her ear and began to shake it.

"Don't do that!" Reginald suddenly snatched it back, a cross look on his face. He started inspecting the present intensely. Alice rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Why give me a present if you're just going to take it back?" she asked testily.

Reginald's head snapped up to look at her, his glacier-blue eyes wide. A slight pout formed on his lips, and he gently handed her the present. "I didn't want you to break it," he said softly.

Alice lost whatever sharp comment she had thought of to counter him; she always did when he suddenly turned bashful. She sighed and settled on a nearby couch. Reginald sat down very close beside her, smiling eagerly as he watched her open the present. She glanced over at him, then rolled her eyes and unwrapped it.

She gasped softly as she saw what he had gotten her. It was a teapot, with the body in the shape of a stack of books. Ordinarily, it would be a horribly tacky thing, but, coming from Reginald, it was…rather sweet, actually. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, Reginald."

"That's not it! Look inside."

Alice curiously took the lid off and looked inside, then gasped. Carefully, she pulled out a small, leather-bound book. She stared at the engraving of an old man carrying a young boy on the front cover, and the gilt letters above it: _A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens._

"Reginald, this…I…why…how did you pay for it? This must have cost a for--!" She was stopped by a finger pressed against her lips. He winked at her.

"It's Christmas. You don't ask questions like that."

Alice stared at him. "Well, what about your present?"

"Unlike you, I like to wait to open my presents. Six a.m. is a good time."

Alice smiled, then threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Reginald," she said softly.

Reginald seemed to freeze for a moment, then returned the embrace. After a moment, though, he let her go and said, "You know, I still have the mistletoe…"

"No, Reginald."

"Fine, then. Let me stoke up the fire, then I'll make some tea for the two of us. A blanket for two would be nice, too…"

"Reginald…"

"What?"

"It's 12:30 in the morning."


End file.
